


you swoon, you smile

by springtine



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:21:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29357889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/springtine/pseuds/springtine
Summary: Banri makes Valentine’s chocolate and gets more than he expected.
Relationships: Sakuma Sakuya/Settsu Banri
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	you swoon, you smile

Juza wakes up to the scent of sugar wafting through the air. He rubs at his eyes, checking the time on his phone. _2:43 AM_. He sniffs at the air again. There was also the smell of strawberries now. Who could be making sweets at this time?

He knows the kitchen has been in use since this morning since it was Valentine’s tomorrow, but really? At 2 AM? Who could be making sweets? He was pretty sure Sakyo would burst a vein if he finds out. Juza makes his way down the loft, cringing at the ladder’s creak. He throws a glance at Settsu’s bed. He exhales in relief when the lump on the bed doesn’t move. He wasn’t willing to get into a fight with his roommate at this time, especially when they both had morning classes.

Socked feet find slippers, and Juza quietly walks to the kitchen. The lounge lights are turned off, and the only light in the kitchen was turned on. The scent of the strawberries got stronger as he neared the kitchen. Now that he’s closer, he also smells chocolate.

He peeks into the kitchen, and he’s surprised by who he finds there. 

“Settsu?”

Banri gives a grunt from where he’s melting white chocolate over a bowl of hot water. His hair was tied back, and he wore an apron over his pajamas. Juza walks over and finds the counter occupied. A hard mold had chocolate cooling down in them. A piping bag filled with caramel rested beside the cooling chocolate. Banri gave the white chocolate a stir, adding a small box of cream into it. The strawberries and sugar simmer on the stove, giving off a sweet smell.

Juza opens the fridge and takes out the cookies he had stored there. He munches on them as he waits for Banri to talk. Banri turns the mold over and lets the chocolate drip out. He gives it a tap, and the rest of the chocolate falls out. He puts it aside then pins Juza with a glare.

“Never talk about this, Hyodo.”

“Mhm. Who’s it for anyway?”

“Didn’t I just say don’t talk about this?” Banri hisses, turning off the stove.

“I won’t.” Juza reassures, finishing off the last cookie. “But I’m surprised you’re making chocolate for Sakuya.”

Banri stills, and Juza looks up. In the low light of the kitchen, he could see that Banri’s ears have a tinge of red to them, and his mouth was agape. He points the rubber spatula at Juza with a scowl, whispering angrily, “How the hell do you know that?!”

Juza shrugs, “You’ve been saying his name when you sleeptalk.”

Banri glares. After a few seconds, he lets out a sigh, still scowling. “Damn it.”

Juza silently watches Banri finish the truffles. They go into the fridge after Banri puts in the strawberry and caramel filling. He takes the seat across him, huffing. “I’ve got it pretty bad for even _you_ to notice, huh?”

“You’re not subtle about it.” 

Though it took him Banri sleeptalking to confirm his suspicions, he could still remember how he gagged at the lovestruck look on Banri’s face when he looked at Sakuya. Or the tinge of red on his ears when he spotted that Sakuya was wearing one of his jackets. Or just his general demeanor around him. He talked softer around him, and there was a tenderness in his actions that Juza thought was impossible, coming from Banri.

“He…” Banri trails off, opening and closing his mouth. Juza could see the gears in his mind turning rapidly. After a while, he groans, head in hands, “I am not talking about romance with you at 3 AM. You fucking get it anyway.”

Juza nods. He was not going to talk about crushes with Settsu, especially at this time. But still, he doesn’t know what prompted him to say, “Good luck. Don’t be a shithead to him.”

Banri lifts his head with a raised eyebrow, eyeing Juza. He huffs a laugh after a while, “Of course, I won’t.”

Though most things quickly came to Banri, he found it hard to actually _say_ his feelings. It wasn’t like Sakuya was hard to talk to. It was actually the contrary. He was easy to talk to, and Banri found himself readily agreeing to whatever Sakuya asked of him. 

Valentine’s was just another day for Sakuya, as Banri found out last year. He got giri choco from the girls in his class but never received honmei choco compared to Banri and Masumi, who literally had too much honmei choco every year. The amount of chocolate they got was sickening, and Banri would sooner give Juza the chocolate than eat them. 

Though Sakuya said that he was fine receiving not receiving honmei choco, Banri was determined to change that after realizing he liked Sakuya. Not in a friendly way, since he knows they’ve become friends after joining the troupe. No, he definitely liked him romantically since it always makes his chest a little warmer when he’d borrow one of Banri’s jackets. Or how Banri could never seem to keep his eyes off Sakuya the moment he started acting. Even Taichi had remarked on him smiling a bit too wide in rehearsal when he had lunch with Sakuya the other week. Even _Hyodo,_ of all people, could pick up on this stupid little crush.

Banri sprinted out of class the second the instructor dismissed them, but even then, he still got stopped by a crowd of ladies (with some guys) who had daintily wrapped boxes in their hands. As always, he gave them a smile, and a short thanks then accepted the packages.

 _What a pain._ Even in college, it seemed a few things hadn’t changed. That included Valentine’s. By the time he made it out of AmaBi, the cloth bag Omi had insisted he keep was several boxes away from spilling. Kazu had already told him that he’d be spending the after class partying, so _“No need to wait for me, Setzer! Go and have a date with your crush!”_

Damn, so even Kazu knew? It’s a miracle he hasn’t already blabbed his about it. 

The walk to the daycare was pretty quiet compared to the crowd that had stopped him earlier. The shopfronts are full of red, white, and pink decorations and posters informing people of Valentine’s promos. Balloons of red and pink tinted the streets. It was frankly annoying to see the colors over and over again, but Banri supposed he couldn’t say much if he was actually planning on giving chocolate today.

He doesn’t see Sakuya at the gates, so he goes further into the daycare. The hallways are filled with childishly made heart decorations. There are still a few kids running around, even if it was way past their dismissal time. A few of the children stop to stare at the bag overflowing with chocolate, but they all go back to playing. He finds Sakuya hanging out in one of the classrooms with four kids.

Banri waves to get his attention from the other side of the glass door, and Sakuya makes a beckoning gesture. The kids turn to him with bright smiles when he opens the door. Sakuya gives him an apologetic smile, but Banri could see some exhaustion in his visage. “Sorry for making you wait, Banri.”

“Nah, it’s good. Their parents haven’t picked them up?”

“They’re all part of the same troupe, and their performance ran a bit late. So I’m keeping them company ‘till they get picked up.” He explains. One of the children tugs at Sakuya’s sleeve. 

“Sakuya-sensei!” 

“Yes, Michiko?”

“Who is he?” 

“He’s Banri-nii; he’s a friend. Say “hi” to him!”

“Hi, Banri-nii!” The same kid, Michiko, grins. 

“Yo.”

“I’m Michiko, and that’s Nana, Tsubasa, and Marisa.” 

Michiko points to the girl who was silently reading a book beside Sakuya, then to the boy and girl roughhousing near the windows. Sakuya gets Tsubasa and Marisa to settle down. Banri somehow gets roped into playing with the kids to pass the time. Banri admittedly had fun acting out the kids’ etudes, and he was amazed at how Sakuya shifted into Mordred’s role when Nana requested a knight and dragon. Banri got the subtle cue from Sakuya and played the dragon, roaring and fake-dying when Mordred had slain him.

This was honestly better than the time they had to wear those damn animal costumes.

It was already sunset by the time their parents showed up. Sakuya was talking with the parents when Banri feels a tug on his pants. Tsubasa looks up at him with a bright smile, showing off his two missing front teeth. 

“Banri-nii! I wanna ask you one last thing!”

Banri crouches down to be on eye-level with the boy. “What is it?”

“What kind of love do you have with Sakuya-sensei?”

What.

Tsubasa carries on despite the way Banri froze. “There’s family love for mom and dad, then friend love for Mi-chan, Na-chan, and Risa-chan! Then there’s love love between mom and dad. I think you have love love with Sakuya-sensei! You guys have the mind-reading thing mom and dad have!”

Banri inhales. So familial, platonic, and romantic love… he didn’t have to be flustered about this, right? He ruffles the kid’s hair lightly, “It’s friend love, kid. The mind-reading thing from earlier is just a really deep friendship. You’ll know it when you grow up.”

Tsubasa pouted but nods, “Okay then. You better not be lying!”

He wasn’t lying (technically).

“Tsu-chan!”

“Oh, that’s mama! See ya, Banri-nii!”

“See ya, kid.”

It was inevitable that they would talk about Valentines, especially with the chocolates Banri carried and the cards Sakuya received from the children and his coworkers. Sakuya eyes the chocolates, lightly laughing, “You’re still really popular, even in college.”

“It’s a pain,” Banri scowls. “I only had one class, but I already have a bag, imagine if it was a full day...”

“It’ll be like last year, too.”

“Don’t remind me… we even had to call Itaru because there were just so many chocolates.”

“Right, right. Sorry about that.” Sakuya chuckles. He then pauses in his tracks. “But it’s understandable. Banri’s really cool; so many people have a crush on him. You’re really amazing. That’s why I like you.”

Banri almost trips at that. He doesn’t hear the next part because Sakuya has started mumbling and because his brain has halted at that. What…? Then… did that mean—?!

“Sakuya, close your eyes.”

His mouth moved before he could think it through. Sakuya stopped mumbling, though he still stood in the middle of the street, clutching his bag’s strap. His eyes were shut tightly, yet his ears burned red. Banri inhaled. He could do this. He quickly finds the chocolates in his bag, it was on top of the single book he had.

It was in a light rose box bigger than his hand, with a thin white ribbon tying it together nicely. Sakuya’s name was neatly scrawled on a tag that was tied with the ribbon. He hopes it hasn’t melted yet. He holds it in front of the shorter actor.

“Happy Valentine’s.”

It’s adorable how Sakuya opens one of his eyes slowly, then both his eyes widen in shock when he sees the box. Even with the low light, he still sees the blush that has spread to his cheeks. His cheeks are more red than pink. He gapes at it, opening and closing his mouth. Banri feels his own cheeks burn, along with the rapid beating of his heart. The last time he got this nervous was during Picaresque, and it was a feeling, unlike any other emotion. 

_Thump_

_Thump_

_Thump_

Wordlessly, Sakuya takes the box with slightly trembling hands. Banri was concerned about his silence before he feels Sakuya’s pinkie intertwine with his own. His hands are smaller than his. They aren’t as soft as he expected, but his hands are warm. His hands were comfortably warm in the February chill. 

Sakuya finally looks up at him with the bright smile Banri had fallen in love with. It’s amazing how he still manages to smile despite his hardships. That smile wasn’t just for show. It was also reflective of who Sakuya was. 

“Happy Valentine’s too, Banri. Let’s go home?”

“Sure.”

When they arrive at the dorms, they unhook their pinkies, and Banri finds himself missing the feeling. They enter the dorms after one another. Izumi smiles at them knowingly from behind the counter. Taichi and Kazunari eyes at the bag of chocolate Banri held.

Was it a coincidence when the only open seat was next to Sakuya? Banri suspects that Izumi had a hand in that, but he can’t voice his complaints when he sees that dinner is curry. Again. Yesterday’s dinner was already curry. Sakuya gives his hand a squeeze under the table when his expression sours.

Even though he knows the curry is the same as ever, it tastes different when he sits next to Sakuya. He was _glowing_ with happiness, and he heard Itaru remark about needing sunglasses. Not even ten minutes into dinner, and Homare was already spinning poems of love. Though he usually didn’t understand any of his poems, it seemed to make sense now. Homare thanked Sakuya for being his muse tonight. Dinner was chaotic, and not even Sakyo could put an end to it. Banri spots Azami looking a bit red in the face from across the table. 

He feels content holding Sakuya's hand under the table, even if he knows they aren’t fooling anyone. Just for a bit, he wants to hold his hand more.

**Author's Note:**

> happy chocolate day! :DD for reference, banri makes [these](https://youtu.be/Okg_sRKbsL0). this fic was really fun to write, and i hope you all enjoyed it as much i did :D


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